LANSING, MI - Eight people who were protesting against right-to-work legislation were arrested outside the Senate chamber after 12 p.m. today.

Meanwhile, police were blocking people from entering the Capitol, saying the building could be compromised. The building hadn't reached capacity, they said, but they were concerned that people are congregating in one area.

The closure prompted Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer to motion to recess pending a lawsuit that she says has been filed by the Michigan Democratic Party and its chair Mark Brewer to force the building open.

The protesters, who are among an estimated 3,000 union members and others demonstrating against right-to-work bills at the Capitol, were arrested for impeding the flow of pedestrian traffic, said Michigan State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk.

He said the protesters were trying to push their way into the Senate chamber and lied down in a common walk way. They were asked to move and did not, so two troopers responded with CS gas, or mace, he said.

“They have a right to protest, we want to keep them safe, but the people who work here and the little kids that are coming here for tours have an expectation to be safe also,” Adamczyk said. “We’re here to protect both sides.”

Union members and others in the Senate gallery applauded and cheered for those who were arrested as they were brought through the Senate floor. (See video below of police leading out some protesters in handcuffs).

Around the same time, police blocked all access to the capitol, citing pockets of density that threatened the "structural intergrity" of the building.

"It was a state police decision in unison with Capitol Facilities, who manages this building," said Adamczyk.

Dozens were shut out, including United Auto Workers President Bob King, AFL-CIO President Karla Swift and American Federation of Teachers President David Hecker.

The Michigan State Police allocated extra troopers for the Capitol today, confirmed MSP spokeswoman Shanon Banner, although she wouldn’t disclose the number. She said the troopers are from various posts across the state, which is standard procedure. She said they would have been working anyway today, so it’s not an added cost.

“Obviously, if this event goes on for a number of days, you begin to exhaust resources,” Banner said. “There may be a future cost, but at this point that’s not the case.”

She said that the MSP is trying to communicate with union leaders on the right-to-work protest at the Capitol.

“We’re reaching out to union leadership to speak to them to try to make sure that they know the situation, that we’re willing to work with them. We’re hopeful that they’ll want to work with us on this, as well.

“Our goal is to have it be a safe environment for everyone to exercise their constitutional rights,” Banner said. “We would just ask that everyone be respectful and peaceful and aware of their surroundings.”

Update 3:10 p.m.: Police are investigating reports that several individuals breached the state Capitol by opening and sneaking through a ground-floor window. Adamczyk confirmed that troopers were sent to the office but did not know whether any arrests were made. "I haven't had a chance to go there and find out," he said. "As a matter of fact, I'm trying to figure out if we're ready to open the building."